56 Responses to “False Information Regarding “House Arrest” of R. Sitsabaiesan by GOSL”

1. Fran Diaz Says:
   January 1st, 2014 at 6:28 pm

   It’s the usual lies, cheat & deceit. A great disservice to Tamils anywhere in the world.

   * How can they be trusted when the media keeps on giving false information to mislead the public ?

   * Where is the morality & ethics from the Tamil adults to lead their children ? Without morality & ethics, the community is lost
   groping in the wilderness of ignorance.

2. AnuD Says:
   January 1st, 2014 at 6:32 pm

   It was mentioned CBC news that the story that Rathika was in house Arrest was a false news item. IT was in Tamilnet.

   So, give the publicity to the story that Tamilnet published lies.

3. aloy Says:
   January 2nd, 2014 at 5:06 am

   Fran, if our politicians (of all hues) continue like what they are doing now Sinhalese too will be in the same boat

4. Fran Diaz Says:
   January 2nd, 2014 at 6:14 am

   Dear Ira,

   Thank you for highlighting the negative events in Canada from media there re the Tamil MP, Sitsabaiesan.

   In contrast, I want to highlight how different it was in 2009 – Canadian media highlighted ltte wrongs. Please see article below from the MacKenzie Institute. Author John Thompson highlights the innovative methods used by the ltte “taking their own people hostage and pleading for their safety” is just one. This fact remains true even to this day : That is, isolating Tamils of Lanka by any method (language etc), and pleading/threats for their separatism and welfare by getting others to pay for it all ! We might ask : Who gains from all this cheat and deceit ? Why don’t leaders of Tamils (TNA) allow Tamils of Lanka to integrate into mainstream living ?

   Mackenzie Briefing Notes

   P.0. Box 338, Adelaide Station Toronto, Ontario M5C-2J4
   Tel: 416-686-4063 E-Mail mackenzieinstitute@bellnet.ca

   The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam: Essential Points

   Issue # 25 — April 2009

   John C. Thompson

   Arising in the mid-1970s, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have become one of the world’s leading terrorist groups. Following the classic model of a ‘National Liberation’ movement of those years, they escalated their activities in the early 1980s to create a guerrilla force, and the resulting civil war has continued ever since.

   The LTTE remain noteworthy for several reasons. These include:
   1) A history of innovative tactics and techniques. The LTTE were (until surpassed by various Palestinian groups during the 2000-04 Second Intifada) the most prolific users of suicide bombers, pioneered the use of the suicide belt-bomb, and introduced many new tactics including the use of hang-gliders and ultra-light aircraft, frogmen, improvised submarines and much else.
   2) A unique use of Émigré communities to support their cause. While the use of emigrated nationals to support various homeland conflicts is an old story; the Tigers were unique in facilitating the Diaspora of Sri Lankan Tamils into Western democratic states. As hundreds of thousands of Tamils made the transition from poor refugees and newly landed immigrants to prosperous citizens, they were controlled to a degree never seen before and systemically milked for contributions to support the LTTE’s war effort. Diaspora organizations that opposed Tiger perspectives were simply not allowed to exist.
   3) An immediate resort to sophisticated organized crime. There is a very long history of various insurgent movements turning to organized crime to meet their expenses and payroll; this is usually a gradual process. As the Tigers helped establish the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora, they also used it as a foundation to help spread an international network of smugglers and narcotics traffickers. The vast majority of Tamil émigrés are law-abiding with little tolerance for the criminals in their own community: Yet the speed with which Tamil organized crime networks became established in the 1980s and early ‘90s was remarkable.
   4) Close harmonization of all aspects of the movement. Few terrorist groups act in isolation. Most have some manner of political front, arrangements for logistics, and mechanisms to raise money through legitimate and criminal means. For the LTTE ever since the early 1980s, a variety of political fronts, fundraising organizations, arms and equipment purchasing, and various criminal enterprises have always worked closely together.

   On the War in Sri Lanka
   Few conflicts have simple causes, and the human appetite for easily understood narratives inevitably casts the players in a conflict into roles as ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’, with helpless victims on the side. The reality is always different.
   Sri Lanka is a complex society with complex problems. The insurgency that the Tamil Tigers began in the mid-1970s arose for a number of reasons. Some of the validations for the conflict and the Tigers’ behaviour are true, as many are false. Some of the conditions that generated the conflict have changed, some never will.
   As of 2001, the Sinhalese constitute 74% of Sri Lanka’s population, Tamils are 18%, Muslims 7% and Burghers comprise most of the rest of the country’s people.
   Sri Lanka underwent major population growth after independence in 1948. The new country invested heavily in education (and many Tamils were predisposed to embrace the opportunities this presented). By the 1960s there were greater expectations among young Sinhalese and Tamils than the island could provide. In such circumstances many under-employed youth will be attracted to extremist ideologies. This included Maoism and a 1971 revolt by the Maoist young Sinhalese of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) was quashed — leaving an estimated 15,000 dead.
   Frequent episodes of Sinhalese nationalism during this time also limited the ability of many Tamils to find education or employment according to their expectations and the international climate of revolutionary politics and national liberation movements had its attractions. The successful independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan (accomplished after severe repression and a major Indo-Pakistani war) was also an inspiration. In the early 1970s, some 30 Tamil independence groups had formed and five armed factions made their appearance.

   The war itself has gone through a number of phases. These include:
   1970-1976: Growing violence within Sri Lankan Tamil community: Internal militancy grew as young militants attacked high caste Tamil elites and federalist Tamil politicians while emerging Tamil ‘national liberation’ movements attempted to redirect violence towards Sinhalese.
   1976-1983: Classic Terrorist Group: The LTTE is created and established connections with Middle Eastern terrorist groups and Indian intelligence agencies. It worked to limit effects of liberalizing government policies and to destabilize local areas, encouraging repression by police and military to polarize Tamil society. Terrorist cells evolved into embryonic guerrilla forces. Base organization of Diaspora political front organizations and overseas organized crime by LTTE-related gangs first appeared in Europe.
   1983-1987: Classic Guerrilla Warfare: LTTE attacks provoked violent communal rioting by Sinhalese, hundreds of Tamils were killed and tens of thousands displaced inside Sri Lanka. LTTE guerrillas began to engage in conventional warfare with the Sri Lankan Army. The Tigers encouraged refugee emigration into Western Europe, Australia and Canada while using political fronts to tap them for support in their new countries. The Tigers began to destroy rival Tamil militant organizations and absorb other factions.
   1987-1990 Indian Imposed Peace Accords: The imposed settlement of the conflict resulted in extremely hostile opposition among Tamils and Sinhalese alike. The Sinhalese JVP initiated a second revolt against the government, which was suppressed with the loss of over 40,000 lives. The Tigers took on the Indian peacekeeping force and inflicted very heavy casualties. By 1990, India bailed out and the Sri Lankan civil war returned with full force.
   1990-2002 Nearly Continuous Civil War: Aside from a brief ceasefire in 1994/5; warfare continued, with first the Army and then the Tigers gaining the upper hand in fighting around key areas in the Island’s north. The Tigers assassinated two national leaders — India’s Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lanka’s President Ranasinghe Premadasa — and engaged in “ethnic cleansing” against Sinhalese and Muslims. They conducted frequent terrorist attacks elsewhere in Sri Lanka, and encouraged the growth of the Diaspora movement. During this time, the Tigers first resorted to maritime piracy; established their own shipping line and created a sophisticated administrative apparatus inside their controlled territories.
   2002-2008 The Attempted Peace Process: Twelve years of warfare in northern Sri Lanka had resulted in a deadlock, and in early 2002 a cease-fire agreement was signed by the LTTE and the government. However, both sides had fundamentally irreconcilable positions – Sri Lanka wanted to remain intact while LTTE demands inevitably led to a fractured state. By September 2004 the Tiger Fronts started to condition the Diaspora community for a return to the conflict and a series of incidents suggested the LTTE hoped to provoke a response from the Sri Lankan military. The 2004 Tsunami hit eastern Sri Lanka especially hard, probably delaying the return of the conflict but giving the Tigers new opportunities to raise money, stockpile supplies and recruit children. The Tigers also murdered hundreds of Tamil politicians from non-Tiger parties (particularly during the 2004 elections).
   2008-2009 Return to War: The Tigers were not alone in preparing for a return to hostilities and the LTTE’s desire for a return to the conflict had estranged many former supporters inside Sri Lanka and the Diaspora. The Sri Lankan government went heavily into debt to finance an expanded military and acquire new capabilities. The 2004 defection of a senior LTTE leader – Colonel Karuna – had also enabled the Army to shift resources when the fighting resumed. The Sri Lankan military was able to concentrate in a series of offensives and inflicted enormous losses on the LTTE through late 2008 and into 2009.
   After 25 years of more or less continuous guerrilla war, the Sri Lankan government finally tipped the balance. Employing new weapons and expensive new resources, the Army was able to drive the LTTE out of many areas and overran sanctuaries that the Tigers had controlled for years. In January 2009, after a series of battlefield defeats, the LTTE guerrilla force retreated into a tiny enclave (less than 30 square km) between two lagoons in northeastern Sri Lanka around the town of Puthukkudiyiruppu.
   The Tigers pulled between 70,000 (Army estimate) and 200,000 (LTTE estimate) Tamil civilians into their enclave with them, and have been using them as human shields, a forced labour pool, and a last source of compelled conscripts and child soldiers. Two months later, the LTTE’s situation had not changed, and the end of the guerrilla war is in sight. Taking your own people hostage, then pleading for their safety and welfare is unusual. Even at bay the Tigers remained innovative.

   The Genocide Myth
   Terrorist groups, aspiring revolutionaries and other kinds of insurgents usually like to present a simplistic and unambiguous narrative that justifies their behaviour. Like all simple stories, there have to be heroes and villains, and evil to be overcome… it’s not hard to imagine where those who construct such narratives like to place themselves.
   The LTTE’s first and most enduring objective was the creation of a Tamil homeland on Sri Lanka; the justification for this goal was the idea of Sinhalese genocide against Sri Lankan Tamils. The offered proof for this genocide was the communal rioting of 1983 in which many Tamils were killed, injured or dispossessed. Since then, Tigers have used the events of 1983 as justification for their own deeds; and the Diaspora’s reaction to the imminent victory of the Sri Lankan military is a redoubled effort to brand Sri Lanka as a genocidal regime.
   A basic principle in the revolutionary ‘National Liberation’ model that the Tigers followed in the 1970s and early 1980s is the use of violence to provoke an over-response by aggrieved authorities. Whenever police and military can be induced to use indiscriminant violence against a community that an insurgent claims to represent, it makes the insurgent’s case for him. By way of analogy, imagine being repeatedly kicked in the shins by someone until you punch him in response, so that he can cry to all nearby that you just hit him without provocation. There’s always someone prepared to believe him.
   In the LTTE’s formative years, many Sri Lankan police and military obligingly went along with the pre-written script; clumsily using violence in response to provocative outrages; and alienating more and more Tamils. On July 23rd, 1983; 13 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed in a Tiger ambush and the incident was given full play by the Sri Lankan government (although it kept quiet about the subsequent murder of 14 Tamils by the Army the next day). At the funeral for the soldiers on the evening of the 24th, rioting broke out and subsequently, somewhere between 200 and 2,000 Tamils – estimates vary widely — were killed and up to 100,000 were displaced by Sinhalese mobs.
   Despite the numerous examples of Sinhalese sheltering their Tamil neighbours, the damage had been done, and the Tigers then had all the justification they ever needed. They seldom discuss the years preceding 1983, and often would have credulous Westerners believe that they arose solely in response to these riots.
   However; since 1983; there has been no repeat performance of similar mob behaviour by Sinhalese. No mob violence followed the news that 1,200 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed by LTTE guerrillas (300 after surrendering) when the Mullativu army base was overrun in 1996. Nor was there any vigilantism after some spectacular LTTE truck bombings in Colombo. No mobs appeared in 1998 when the Temple of the Tooth – one of the holiest places in Sir Lankan Buddhism – was attacked by a Tiger suicide bomber. Part of the Tiger’s incentive for these outrages may have been a hope that Sri Lankan Sinhalese would repeat their behaviour of 1983, but they never have.
   There have been frequent instances of human rights abuses, extra-judicial homicide and carelessness about collateral damage by the Sri Lankan military. These are distressing, but do not constitute genocide.
   Genocide, as we have all too often seen, requires much more extensive and enthusiastic massacres than a week of violent rioting 26 years ago. It requires wholesale ethnic cleansing – which is something the Tigers have repeatedly attempted, but not so the Sri Lankan authorities. It requires labour camps and death camps – something that the Sri Lankans have never built. Notwithstanding the events of 1983, Colombo and other Sri Lankan cities have large populations of Tamils who haven’t felt the need to live in fear and apprehension of their neighbours for the past quarter century.
   The charges of genocide from the LTTE and their supporters have no merit, and should be immediately ignored whenever they are raised.

   The Tigers Claim to Tamil Leadership
   In the 33 years of the LTTE’s existence the Tigers have repeatedly claimed to speak for all Sri Lankan Tamils. This has never been true, although thousands of Tamils have been killed by the Tigers to substantiate this claim.
   In numerous other instances around the world, terrorists and insurgents have expended a great deal of time and effort to ensure that they are the sole ‘legitimate’ voice for the people they claim to represent. What is seldom remembered is that it took intimidation and murder to ensure this situation could be achieved. One should remember how that much of the violence in Apartheid South Africa of the 1980s, in Ulster in the 1970s, or among the Palestinians in the 1950s, was the result of infighting among various factions. Many of the first victims of the Bolsheviks in Russia were other Leftists; and Hitler’s first spree of mass murder was to suppress Rohm’s SA within his own Nazi Party.
   Whatever the claims of the LTTE, Sri Lanka’s Tamils were never one united community. Some Tamils have ancestors who arrived in Sri Lanka over 1,500 years ago; other Tamil communities have been present for less than 200 years. There are cleavages within the Tamil community based on class, region, religious caste, and occupation. Some Tamils are so intermarried with their Sinhalese, Muslim or Burgher neighbours that they are barely conscious of their identity.
   Many Tamils have no love for the LTTE – with profound reason. The Tigers were ruthless in murdering the leaders of rival insurgent groups such as PLOTE, the EPRLF, and TELO; and in purging potential rivals within their own ranks to their leader, Vellupillai Prabhakaran. The toll among Tamil figures who were opposed to a militant path has been very heavy and continuous – some 200 in 2004 alone. It must be remembered that the first murder by the embryonic LTTE was a Tamil federalist politician, killed by Prabhakaran personally.
   The LTTE’s indiscriminate attacks with time bombs and booby traps on buses, and with truck bombs on office buildings, could not distinguish between Tamils, Sinhalese, Muslims and Burghers. Ethnic cleansing activities often involved massacres and midnight attacks on rural communities, which also made it difficult for machete-wielding Tigers to distinguish Tamils from intended victims.
   Tamils in Sri Lanka who have tried to shield their children from conscription by the Tigers (who are notorious for using child soldiers) and educators who tried to keep the Tigers out of their school rooms have been killed by the LTTE. Tamils who objected to paying war-taxes, or who opposed the Tigers in other ways have also disappeared, or have been wiped out along with their families.
   In the past two months, many of the Tamils compelled to act as human shields have been killed by the Tigers as they tried to escape. Others, hastily armed and forced into the ranks of the Tigers, have fired on the guerrillas in an attempt to save themselves and their families.
   Although the Tigers and their supporters insist they speak for all Sri Lankan Tamils, it is an insult to some very brave people to accept this claim.

   Some Questionable Chums
   The Tigers began by adopting the traditional model of a national liberation movement in the 1970s, and they were soon tied into the networks of indirectly Soviet sponsored international terrorism that existed in those days. At various times, Asian Defence Journals, investigative reporters, and Jane’s Defence Review have linked the LTTE to:
    The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); LTTE members were at their training camps in South Lebanon during the late 1970s and apparently again after 1983.
    The Palestinian Liberation Organization; again, this was in the 1970s when the PLO was a terrorist group in Lebanon. The PLO was also said to be providing some training for the LTTE in southern India.
    The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF); The LTTE was reported to be helping train members of this al Qaeda-related group from Mindanao in the Philippines during the 1990s.
    The Abu Sayyaf Group; a successor to the MILF and more conventionally tied to al Qaeda. The LTTE was also said to be training their members in the late 1990s.
    Jemaah Islamiya: The Indonesian ‘franchise’ of al Qaeda. The LTTE is said to have helped train JI members in maritime terrorist tactics in the 1990s.
    Al Qaeda: Besides providing training (presumably on a commercial basis) to a number of member organizations within al Qaeda; the LTTE has assisted members of al Qaeda with false passports and in joint arms purchases before the 9/11 attacks.
   Over the decades, the LTTE has frequently pioneered terrorist techniques that have been copied by other groups. These include the suicide belt bomb famously used in the 1991 assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and later to such effect during the Second Intifada by the Palestinians, the use of chlorine tanks in vehicle bombings to generate a gas cloud, later much copied by al Qaeda in Iraq, and suicide speed boat attacks such as were later seen in the attack on the USS Cole. This has led to widespread speculation that the LTTE provides training and instruction for other terrorist groups.
   The LTTE has been involved in heroin trafficking since the late 1970s. They have been linked to heroin distribution in Canada, France, Italy, Poland and Switzerland; and major shipments of heroin and opium to and from India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand and Sri Lanka itself.
   The LTTE has been accused of piracy on numerous occasions and is linked to the capture of eight freighters in the Indian Ocean since 1995. The entire crews of two ships are missing, and it is assumed they were murdered by their captors.
   Criminal enterprises associated with former LTTE members in many countries include human trafficking, extortion, credit card fraud, counterfeiting, commercial fraud and much else. Organized criminal activity in any Western country requires a degree of cooperation with various other criminal societies and Tiger criminal enterprises have cooperated with Bikers, Chinese Triads, Russian and Italian Mafias, and a variety of other groups over the years.

   Protesting for the Tigers
   Notwithstanding their interest in carving out a single ethnic state in Sri Lanka, LTTE political fronts in Diaspora communities have always stressed multicultural politics in their new societies. The Tiger Fronts in Canada made early connections with ‘anti-racism’ groups as a way of securing allies in their fight to keep liberalized refugee policies that facilitated easier immigration. They were also quick to cultivate political contacts, particularly with incumbent politicians. In Canada, this meant (in the mid-1990s) wooing the NDP at the municipal level, the Liberals federally, and the Conservatives in Ontario. Similar behaviour has been seen in Europe and Australia.
   Among the Diaspora, the only organizations that were permitted to exist were at best strictly neutral and non-partisan. However, most were pro-Tiger. Tamils who had left Sri Lanka found that every Tamil cultural body, temple, newspaper, or language and immigration service that they might resort to was pro-Tiger. Being known to hold anti-Tiger views was to risk ostracism (a severe threat to a new immigrant) or a beating. Trying to avoid paying ‘War Taxes’ meant running the same risks; and could result in penalties to family members still living in Tiger-controlled areas back in Sri Lanka.
   Frequently, if the Tiger controlled front organizations needed to make a point, mass attendance at a protest march might be compelled. In recent years, Tamil store owners have been ordered to shut their shops to maximize attendance; and the men used to collect War Taxes might also go door to door in Tamil neighbourhoods ordering people to appear at events. However, as the Diaspora community matured and disappointment with the failure of the 2002 ceasefire grew, a growing number of Tamils started avoiding Tiger events. Legal prohibitions and orders against the LTTE and its front organizations in a number of countries have also encouraged many Tamils to defy these groups.
   However, the LTTE has controlled Tamil language media and education in Diaspora communities for years and many Sri Lankan Tamils still see the Tigers as champions of their people. There are many who remember the events of 1983 or human rights abuses and have decided to side with the Tigers. Much of the support for the Tigers is genuine and will remain so in future.
   As the war in Sri Lanka grinds to a conclusion; the flare-up in protest activities is a natural outcome. It could be seen as a displacement activity and a rejection of an unpalatable reality for many Tamils. Imagine a Tamil immigrant in their 50s who gave a child to the movement and contributed thousands of dollars over 30 years; now imagine how desperate they might be to avoid seeing the cause come to an end and all their sacrifices come to naught.
   For many of the children of Tamil immigrants, their idea of their Sri Lankan Tamil identity was entirely defined by the Tigers. The heroes they were encouraged to emulate were LTTE veterans at the Diaspora’s “Martyr’s Day” celebrations who paraded under the Tiger flag in their old uniforms. They cannot accept that the Tigers were ruthless killers under the control of a pitiless sociopathic leader.
   The problem for Tamils in the Diaspora is that they cannot really fit into their new societies as long as the Tigers exist and influence their lives. The problem for Sri Lanka is that it can never realize its true potential, as many other Asian countries have, so long as the Tigers remain. The LTTE arose as a radical response to a situation that existed decades ago, and it has long outlived its time.

   The Mackenzie Institute

   The Institute was formed in 1986 to provide research and comment on such diverse subjects as terrorism, organized crime, political extremism, propaganda, conflict and other such matters. It does not shy away from controversy.

   The second purpose of the Institute is to work to enhance Canada’s stability where and when it can.

   The Institute does not accept funding from any government and preserves its independence. Those who support its purposes are invited to become Friends of the Institute, and those who contribute $60 (or more) to it, receive its publications for the next twelve months.

   The Mackenzie Institute
   PO Box 338, Adelaide Station
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5. Fran Diaz Says:
   January 2nd, 2014 at 6:41 am

   aloy,

   I agree with you. It is high time that all Leaders in Lanka (political, business, clergy, teachers, parents etc.) have to take a good hard look at themselves and their flock. As I said in another comment earlier, most people in Lanka are good people and the potential for good work is there waiting to be tapped in the right way.

   The emphasis on ethics and morality have to be highlighted especially in Parliament, schools and workplaces as well in homes. Poverty, lack of a proper education, joblessness, parental attitudes, leaders’ misbehavior, begets such bedfellows as lying, cheat and deceit.

   We know it is easier said than done, but it is high time a genuine start up in the right direction is made. When the foundations are solid, the country is solid.

   For a start, we recommend that an Oath of Allegiance to Lanka be taken by one and all at least once a week, at the Parliament, all govt. places of work, the armed forces, private places of work, schools, etc.

   Not in my book to ‘preach’ and wish heartily that people would begin to think right for themselves.

6. aloy Says:
   January 2nd, 2014 at 8:31 am

   The largest Heroin haul of South Asia has been detected in SL. And all those involved carry on regardless. In any other country (except perhaps in Africa) this is enough to topple a government. The president should explain the inaction. SL should not allow Pakistanis to investigate as they cannot be trusted, it is from that country this drug has originated. Under these circumstance can we really blame any body else other than the Sinhalese who are in control.

7. Fran Diaz Says:
   January 2nd, 2014 at 9:37 am

   Re the illicit Drug haul : We think there is an attempt here to frame the PM and discredit the GoSL.

8. aloy Says:
   January 2nd, 2014 at 3:49 pm

   Fran, Where do you live?. Do you know about PM’s past?. According to you someone imported 260kg of heroin to discredit PM and GOSL.

9. Lorenzo Says:
   January 2nd, 2014 at 4:03 pm

   Fran,

   The POLICE actually took custody and WEIGHED the haul!! It came close to 260kg. The people involved were clearly IDENTIFIED.

   Now Pakistan is considering sending the other party to SL to face charges!!

   It is not a made up story. It is REAL.

   None so blind as those who REFUSE to see.

10. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 2nd, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    I have followed up this case and drew my own conclusions. These are the two articles I could get from the media, but I read a couple of other clips too. The so called businessman from Pakistan had met up with the PM and the media say that there is a photo of the guy with the PM. What does that prove ? Nothing. Business folk from so called ‘friendly countries’ do cultivate VIPs in Lanka.
    I was wondering why the importer of the goods remains unknown in Lanka. These goods declared as lubricants contained heroin, a large amount of it. The PM’s office, on request from a known Party member, requested the release of the container cargo as it had been sitting in the docks for some 2 months and the known Party member had come to request the release saying that the demurrage would cost more than the goods for ‘his friend’. That is how the PMs office had got involved. I have a ‘hunch’ that the PM has been used, as well as his office, to get the goods with heroin released, but failed. The PMs office had NOT requested that the Customs NOT examine the goods. The heroin was discovered because the Customs examined the goods as per rules of the Port. When these details are put together, we can see that there has been an attempt to frame the PM and discredit the GoSL. Wonder who the importer of the goods is ? Does anyone know the person’s name ?

    Conclusion: If the PMs office is guilty, then they would have insisted that the container is NOT examined by Customs. They did not do so. Therefore, they are NOT guilty.

    Interesting case for Sherlock Holmes.

    Nowadays, anything is possible !

    Here are two of the articles re this matter :

    * Legal barriers to extradite Pakistani drug king pin to Sri Lanka
    Mon, Dec 30, 2013, 10:46 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

    Dec 30, Colombo: Diplomatic sources say that a legal barrier has delayed the extradition of the king pin of an international drug trafficking racket between Sri Lanka and Pakistan to Sri Lanka.

    Pakistani authorities have arrested the suspect believed to be the king pin who was responsible for smuggling a container with over 150 kilos of heroin to Sri Lanka.

    Sri Lanka police have also arrested another Pakistani national suspected of leading the smuggling operation from Sri Lanka along with two Sri Lankans when the Customs in August discovered the shipping container with heroin packed in lubricant cans.

    Sri Lanka has demanded the extradition of the main suspect from Pakistan to be produced in Sri Lankan court.

    However, Pakistan authorities have delayed the extradition since the law provides deportation of criminals who hide in another country after committing an offense.

    Pakistan authorities are considering the legal issues since the suspected Pakistani is not accused of committing a crime in Sri Lanka.

    Sources say the police have found a video of the suspect posing with Sri Lanka Prime Minister, who came under severe rap when it was revealed that a coordinating secretary of the PM requested a tax waiver for the container.

    However, police say that neither the Prime Minister nor the relevant coordinating secretary were aware that the container had heroin in it.

    The Pakistan police team questioned the arrested suspects including a Pakistan national in Sri Lanka last week.

    Police say that all the details of the racket have been exposed and more arrests will be made shortly.

    * Sri Lanka’s governing party ally to take legal action against Prime Minister
    Thu, Jan 2, 2014, 10:18 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

    pastedGraphic.pdf
    Jan 02, Colombo: Ally of Sri Lanka’s governing party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) plans to take legal action against Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne for slander.

    The party demands Rs. 1 billion in damages if the Prime Minister failed to apologize in public for allegedly making derogatory remarks on JHU Leader Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha Thero.

    Deputy Secretary of the JHU, Western Provincial Council Minister Udaya Gammanpila told a news conference that instead of criticizing Ven. Sobitha Thero, steps should be taken to expose the truth behind the involvement of PM’s office in the detention of the largest haul of heroin in South Asia by the Customs Department of Sri Lanka in August last year.

    Ven. Sobhitha Thero referring to the raid said earlier that if a proper investigation is carried out, the police will find that the person who had imported the haul and the person who had requested for its release from the Customs at the Prime Minister’s Office.

    The JHU has claimed that the Prime Minister in response has said that Ven. Sobhitha Thero was attempting to link him with a container carrying 260 kg of heroin because of personal animosity.

    A coordinating secretary in a ministry under the purview of the PM was removed from office last year for requesting a tax exemption from the Customs Department on clearing the heroin packed container.

    However, the Prime Minister and the coordinating secretary both denied that they were aware of the contents in the container.

11. Nanda Says:
    January 2nd, 2014 at 5:28 pm

    Fran,
    The truth accepted by everybody is “PM ask customs to clear this drug container”.
    Even if that container does not contain any drug, he is a bloody thief, as he is interfering with customs means taking bribes.
    I am 100% sure he is following Prof. Duminda and Dr. Mervyn.
    Now, in reply he said, “as we set up government controlled Sangha Sabha, people are not happy with me”.
    What nonsense ?
    This bugger will be in jail first if it happened in Australia.

12. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 2nd, 2014 at 6:29 pm

    Hello Nanda,

    The PM did not ask the Customs to clear the container. Get your facts right. The PM’s office was approached by one of their Party people and a request was made to clear the container as the importer were paying demurrage for over two months.

    Who is the importer here ? We like to know. I posed this same question when the problem was first reported.

    ———-

    In Sri Lanka, who needs enemies with friends such as we have !!
    What a country !

13. Lorenzo Says:
    January 2nd, 2014 at 7:49 pm

    Fran,

    “In Sri Lanka, who needs enemies with friends such as we have !!”

    I know you refer to the PM’s office. The druggies, murdies, crookies, corrupties, etc. in parliament.

    If we refuse to SEE the reality, we EXPOSE our weaknesses to our enemies.

    And if we SHOOT THE MESSENGER then we are totally stuffed.

    SL does not equal to government.
    Loyalty to SL does not equal loyalty to government.

14. Nanda Says:
    January 3rd, 2014 at 1:45 am

    Fran,
    We are too complacent.
    OK I agree with you, my words were from general media.
    “Party people and a request was made to clear the container”- good for a politician , not for Fran.

    PM office made the request = Buck stops at PM
    But he reacted like Mervyn. He is blaming Monks. Does it make sense. This old man should be kicked out tomorrow, together with all the crooks and then we can talk with the west.

    Mathat Thitha or “Hemata matha ” ?
    Where is the noble “mahinda CHintana ” gone ?

15. aloy Says:
    January 3rd, 2014 at 4:26 am

    I take my hat off to Police. It seems they insisted on a thorough search and at the end the stuff was found. Why did PM want to get involved with suspicious characters from a country from where we got a container load od contraceptives earlier. I think some people are trying to destroy us.

16. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 3rd, 2014 at 6:00 am

    Dear Lorenzo,

    There you go again – misinterpreting what I wrote !

    When I said “In Sri Lanka who needs enemies …”, I did not mean the PM’s office at all. The whole drug issue is yet to be proven. I still think that the PM is being framed. Why so I am not sure.
    My question which no one answers is : “Who is the importer here ? We like to know. I posed this same question when the problem was first reported”.

    The “druggies, murdies, crookies, corrupties, etc.” were not there in earlier times. Who has brought them into Lanka ? Also, they are around in other places, not just in Parliament.

    ———–

    Sri Lanka is NOT a failed state, but enemies of Lanka are working to make it so. There are several odd events that have happened. Excessive water pollution resulting in CKD, arson, pasting the blame on naive people, to name a few. Can the readers identify the real Enemies of Lanka ?

17. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 3rd, 2014 at 6:04 am

    Nanda,

    I agree. We are too complacent. I can also add that we are too trusting, too naive. There must be fool proof methods in systems of governance in place to foil dangerous mischief makers. Any ideas how to do this ?

18. douglas Says:
    January 3rd, 2014 at 5:34 pm

    Fran: Let us forget the “Container of heroin”. My question is: Why at all, any Minister or Ministry involved in “issuing letters to the Customs” asking for clearing of any cargo that come under the direct control of the officers concerned. Is that the work of the Minister or any Ministry? Let those matters be handled by the officials attached to the relevant Departments. If that happens and allowed the normal procedures to go through, nothing of this sort of problem would have arisen.

    The latest on this issue: The Prime Minister accepts and acknowledge the fact of meeting this “importer” at his residence along with a local politician and had lunch with both of them.

    Fran, Can you see to what extent these politicians at the highest levels and local levels are involved in corrupt practices and how governmental affairs are handled. Isn’t it disgusting and stinking?

19. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 4th, 2014 at 7:03 am

    douglas,

    I heartily agree with you that all cargo at any port, air or sea, must be handled by the proper authorities appointed to do the task, without outside interference. We hope that the President (as he has to handle everything in Lanka !) insists that this is done.

    In this particular case, the PM’s office has offered a favor in return for a favor to the PM’s son ? However, I doubt that the PM or his son suspected that there was heroin in the cargo container. The PM’s office also did not prevent inspection of the cargo. I am merely saying that the PM and his office were unaware of the contents of the cargo. It appears to me as an attempt to use the PM & the PMs office for criminal activity and perhaps even defame the PM & his office.

    All Democracies fail due to fuel of business money meeting the fire of politics. To run a political campaign, politicos need some funds and business folk provide that in return for favors. It happens in the best of Democracies. However, Europe has managed to circumvent the worst of it through strategic outlets for political aspirants and good governance. E.g. free tv time from govt. tv for political aspirants.

    In my humble opinion, Lankans ought to study those systems in place in European countries if we are to avoid future strife and avoid crashing the country over a pittance. On the part of the Public, Politicos ought to be voted into their posts for sheer ability, innovativeness honesty and decency, not their funds or connections.

20. aloy Says:
    January 4th, 2014 at 9:21 am

    Fran,
    I read in a news paper report that the duo (PM’s son and the Paki) met in Dubai before this incident. Perhaps there is a Dubai connection also. May be the Police got a tip off and the importers got the wind of it and the container was left in harbor for three months. As the consignment had a big value they may have tried all sorts of tricks to get it released without success.

21. Marco Says:
    January 4th, 2014 at 1:56 pm

    Fran
    With all due respect its not often that i respond to your comments and views. (although we/or I have agreed to disagree on your fixation with the caste system in Sri Lanka) Nevertheless i have certain points i wish to make on this particular issue of the drugs haul. (I trust the moderator will indulge in my comment which is not relevant to the above article)
    You said “We think there is an attempt here to frame the PM and discredit the GoSL” Who is the “we” and have you got evidenced to prove such to frame the PM and discredit GOSL?

    You further state (I have followed up this case and drew my own conclusions. These are the two articles I could get from the media, but I read a couple of other clips too. The so called businessman from Pakistan had met up with the PM and the media say that there is a photo of the guy with the PM. What does that prove ? Nothing. Business folk from so called ‘friendly countries’ do cultivate VIPs in Lanka.)
    I was wondering why the importer of the goods remains unknown in Lanka.

    You came to a conclusion reading a few articles.

    Further comment;-
    (When I said “In Sri Lanka who needs enemies …”, I did not mean the PM’s office at all. The whole drug issue is yet to be proven. I still think that the PM is being framed. Why so I am not sure.
    My question which no one answers is : “Who is the importer here ? We like to know. I posed this same question when the problem was first reported”.

    The “druggies, murdies, crookies, corrupties, etc.” were not there in earlier times. Who has brought them into Lanka ? Also, they are around in other places, not just in Parliament. )

    You ask who is the importer? Simple- why not ask the PM who has met him and provided the letter. We like to know too. We in Sri Lanka know who it is and it is common knowledge. Why is the PM reluctant to name him if he has admitted to have met him?

    Douglas in his comment makes a very interesting and pertinent point of political interference in all matters be they be administrative, judiciary or law and order. We have become accustomed to it and one becomes immune to it and live below the “radar” so to speak.
    In Sri Lanka my dear friend Fran nobody issues a letter from a Ministry without “compensation”.

    (However, I doubt that the PM or his son suspected that there was heroin in the cargo container. )
    Which part of the “doubt” do you want me to believe?

    Finally,
    (Sri Lanka is NOT a failed state, but enemies of Lanka are working to make it so. There are several odd events that have happened. Excessive water pollution resulting in CKD, arson, pasting the blame on naive people, to name a few. Can the readers identify the real Enemies of Lanka ?)

    I wonder who the naive person is?
    Sri Lanka is not a failed state but a failed governance that creates enemies within itself.
    I don’t suppose you need evidence of it you can read all about it!

22. Lorenzo Says:
    January 4th, 2014 at 2:28 pm

    Fran,

    CID has already questioned DMJ’s son for 3 hours on the drugs issue!!

    That rests the matter IF there is ANY dispute of his involvement in the drug case. IF he has nothing to do with it, police would not waste so much time on him. Remember he is PM’s son!!

    Of course SL is NOT a failed state anymore but if things continue like this, SL will be one.

23. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 4th, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    Marco,

    Let us agree to disagree on this one too.
    You and I don’t see eye to eye on anything. It is pointless writing to you. You see only the negative side of events
    and of people. What a life !

24. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 4th, 2014 at 4:29 pm

    Marco,

    I forgot to add “Rule Britannia’. Good training for you from the College by the Sea – bow to Westminster.

25. Nanda Says:
    January 4th, 2014 at 4:48 pm

    Fran,
    1st starting point is PM should give a satisfactory explanation OR simply resign first and let the law enforcement take over.
    He started saying his enemies deviced this, because of his Sangha law. What utter nonsence ? It raises suspision higher.

    If he remains PM, how can an impartial inquiry be conducted. Even questioning his SON will be a joke. Remember this is Sri Lanka. Maha Ranee can easily interfere or stop any inquiry.

    Maha Ranee’s inability to expel the 2 Silvas ( kudu doctors) proves his dishonesty. He cannot cheat the world this way.
    Who will trust him ?

26. Nanda Says:
    January 4th, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    I belive this kind of deals are daily affairs of most of the Ministers. It just happened that couple of people in this case disgareed and the someone just wanted to show his power. Thus the the racket was exposed, otherwise it could have passed unnoticed.
    Kudu is out of control. Even thieves get away now by bribing police. Kudu govern the government.
    How can this be stopped now ?
    We cry 13A everyday- no use- we have no Kudu power.
    This is how Muslims have become so powerful. Their wealth is KUDU. They can buy the whole of Lanka now and it is happening. If you want to investigate just post an AD on the Net “Land for Sale in COlombo” and see who responds.

27. Nanda Says:
    January 4th, 2014 at 5:04 pm

    Fran,
    Real Ennemies of Lanka is EXCESSIVE GREED.
    If we had a leader with limited greed after 2009, we are already having $10000 GDP by now, no doubt.
    The Tamil problem was the “begger’s wound” before 2009.
    The war finished the “Tamil Problem” but our leaders want to keep the existance of “Tamil Problem” to cover up excessive greed.
    Now they make merry and want us to occupy attacking “Tamil Problem” so that we don’t attack “excessive greed”.

28. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 4th, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    Lorenzo,

    It is good that the CID questioned the PM’s son. Due process is taking place.

    Like I said before, no one from the PM’s office prevented inspection of the container cargo. I think that is the most important point here.

29. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 4th, 2014 at 5:53 pm

    Nanda,

    One of the real enemies of Lanka is Excessive Greed – I do agree with you on that one.

    Excessive Greed is the enemy all over the world, not only in Lanka. You ought to see the state of affairs on Greed in some of the wealthier countries.

    However, drug dealing is the worst kind of crime and must be stopped by all means possible. We witnessed drugged participants in the 1983 Riots which ruined the country and made worse the existing problems in the country. People were naive to have fallen into the drug trap of that time, and will continue to be naive if they fall into such traps again.

    The ‘Tamil Problem’ is kept alive mostly by the TNA, Tamil Diaspora, vested interests and some Tamil Nadu leaders, plus those who do not want Lanka to prosper.

30. Lorenzo Says:
    January 4th, 2014 at 6:52 pm

    Fran,

    “no one from the PM’s office prevented inspection of the container cargo.”

    But they instructed customs to RELEASE the cargo!

    Lets look at it in another way.

    IF a ministers or their clowns can clear a container, ministers should bring container loads of claymore mines (“badu” – goodies) and bomb TNA terrorists to dust. Would you agree Fran?

    I’m sure you don’t agree.

    Why agree on badu
    and disagree on kudu?

    (FYI I agree with such a plan but that is beside the point.)

31. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 5th, 2014 at 7:17 am

    Lorenzo,

    Getting cargo released, getting incriminated people released has been common practice from various govts. here and elsewhere in SE Asia. Even at airports, I know of folk who get their stuff past the Customs, even in the old days. This is how SE Asia operates. We the People have to put a stop to it – i.e. Use of undue influence. I agree with you that use of undue influence is wrong. Very wrong.

    In a Democracy, it is usual for the People to approach their local govt. representatives (and there are only too many of them), and Petition for Changes. The Reps then go to Parliament and voice the concerns of the People. That is how Change for the Better happens in Democracies. We all know all this, but are impatient for real Change. But this is Due Process in a Democracy, and we must follow Democratic norms. Rioting about everything under the sun won’t do. Also, new ideas must be thrown out to media by the People themselves. That is real Democracy.

    In this instance of the PM’s office, I wish to reiterate that the PM’s office did allow the inspection of the Cargo concerned. At this point in time, that is important.

    Change re Undue Influence has to come too. It is up to the People of Lanka and the media to make their Democracy work for them.

32. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 5th, 2014 at 9:57 am

    What has happened to the Deshamanya Awards for exceptional performance for the country from both politicians as well as lay people ?

    The other alternative is to vote out bad politicos at the next elections. These are the Democratic alternatives.

33. Lorenzo Says:
    January 5th, 2014 at 12:33 pm

    Fran,

    We CANNOT be confined to DEMOCRACY. We have to do what is best for the country.

    e.g. If someone suffers from Diabetes should he ONLY take eastern medicine? NO. He should use ANY medicine that cures him.

    SL reached great heights in the past without democracy.

    A TEMPORARY military take over, change the system and hand back to democracy is the ONLY solution.

    “The other alternative is to vote out bad politicos at the next elections.”

    Doesn’t work because MOST politicians are BAD and bad ones are VERY POPULAR!

34. Marco Says:
    January 5th, 2014 at 2:45 pm

    Fran- Thank you for your comment.
    I would rather bow to the Westminster (system) rather than the Kudu (system).

    Fran- I maybe wrong, it appears (intuition) from your comments you have not been to Sri Lanka for some time.

    Be that as it may- I wish you well and a very Happy New Year

35. aloy Says:
    January 5th, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    I hate to write bad about a popular president. But look at what he did just before he left the country for ME: he handed over a big responsibility of a once righteous party to a fellow whose credentials are not at all clean.
    Once upon a time there had been a tussle between two personalities and that person’s house in Negombo was surrounded by the law enforcement people and given a thorough search as he was a notorious person of the area. It appears they are the best people to run the affairs of a once respected party, today.
    He also removed the only foolproof method left in the constitution the citizens of this country had to remove an unsuitable person from office in a tricky system of governance where the power is centralized on a single individual, by unfair means. What will happen our country is not at all clear.

36. Lorenzo Says:
    January 5th, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    Aloy is referring to Nimal Lanza. May be it is temporary because Basil is out of action. He is in hospital.

    He’s appointed SLFP DISTRICT organiser for entire Gampaha district.

    What a foolish decision!
    1. He is a criminal. Drug dealer. STF inspected his place a few years back for drugs and weapons.
    2. Gampaha is a Sinhala Buddhist bastion. Lanza is a Burgher Catholic. There is a huge mismatch.
    3. Gampaha is the most valuable SLFP power base. This is an insult to voters.

    MR thinks now he is INVINCIBLE. Like a cricketer who has scored 50 runs thinking he can swing the bat ANYWAY he likes and it will give runs. WRONG! He gets out.

    People who PRAISE MR now are actually his enemies.

    The ONLY GOOD Lanza can do is WEED OUT UNP dirt OUT of airport taxi business.

37. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 5th, 2014 at 4:31 pm

    Lorenzo,

    You have said something here that catches our attention : “Doesn’t work because MOST politicians are BAD and bad ones are VERY POPULAR!”. Well then, that is the choice of the People of those areas. It beats me that people choose BAD folk to lead them and then complain about it.

    Why do you suppose they do deliberately choose ‘BAD’ people ? May be they have been watching too many low grade films from tv ? Who guides the rural folk in voting ? Or is it because they feel Colombo & the Educated folk have let them down by killing some 80 thousand Sinhela rural people in the JVP insurrections and they feel they need to have rough, tough folk from their own backgrounds to lead/protect them ?

    I feel a lot of the trouble in the country today is due to the unresolved past with the JVP, not to mention the ltte. This is not an easy task, and will take many years. That is why we need a National Govt.

38. Nanda Says:
    January 5th, 2014 at 4:44 pm

    Friends,
    All have greed when they are born. Bad and Good develop according to surroundings and past Kamma.
    We cannot depend on Good people. That will never happen, even it happens it will be extremely rear.

    That is why all countries need rules, laws etc and enforcers to apply the law accordingly.
    When the leader hides criminals, it shows he is a criminal too.

39. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 5th, 2014 at 6:44 pm

    Nanda,

    Party politics rules all Democracies everywhere.

    That is why we need a National Govt.

40. Lorenzo Says:
    January 5th, 2014 at 7:10 pm

    Fran,

    You raised a very good question.

    Why MOSTLY BAD people are elected?

    1. GOOD people are DAMN SCARED to enter politics. Would you Fran? Never. They have NO THUGS to defend their families so they KEEP OUT of contesting elections.

    2. GOOD people have NO MONEY to waste on election work. BAD people have MILLIONS and will earn BILLIONS after winning. So they have enough to do election work.

    3. When POOR good people get into politics, people think they are in for the MONEY!! When bad people spend millions, people think they are philanthropists!!

    4. It is easy for govt. to deal with BAD people than good people. BAD MPs have to always support “LOKKA” otherwise they get framed. Like Shitrani the former CJ. You can’t easily frame good people. GOOD people are VERY dangerous for govt. because they will NOT stay silent when corruption happens.

    5. Tamils and Amparei Muslims ONLY vote for RACISTS (bad people). Even if Krishna and Allah come and tell them against it, they will still vote for racists.

    So what choice people have?
    For democracy to work, people should have CHOICE.
    CHOICE has been BUSTED by this corrupt system. That is why SL democracy does NOT work.

    SL democracy NEEDS corruption, violence, etc. to function!

    The CJ was corrupt, the bribery commission head is ALSO corrupt, all presidents corrupt, army commander was corrupt.

    A national govt. is NOT the solution because it is only the DOUBLE of same corrupt, thugs!!

    Fran, I know you are a GOOD THINKER. I’m FASCINATED why you CANNOT see beyond this WELL.

41. aloy Says:
    January 5th, 2014 at 8:31 pm

    Fran,
    You complained about JVP. But they are the only group who fearlessly challenge the faults in the system. The JHU is scared that their perks and privileges will be withdrawn. So they play a safe game. BBS is a pack of poodles that feeds on crumbs from somebody’s table. Look at them in a recent photograph showing smiles with a drug dealer.

42. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 6th, 2014 at 7:20 am

    Lorenzo,

    Please bear with me as I address many issues here to the best of my knowledge about what I have learnt about life.

    Re Military Rule :

    There has to be a Mission Statement on what we are aiming for. If we are aiming for Good Governance through Military Rule, then we can be sure that Europe would adopted this method long ago. It is Europe that started WWI&II, and we ought to STUDY the European countries first and LEARN from them. Europe has got to some heights re Law & Order and Social stability. I DON’T mean getting re-colonised, like some folk wish. Adapt European ideas to suit Lanka. Learning from others is to take a less painful short cut.

    We also ought to address not only the Laws of the Land, which can be added onto or removed, but also the Laws that govern the inner being of all Human beings. Both inner and outer laws have to operate within a certain Life Supportive range in order that a society survives the negative aspects of life such as Greed, Fear, Hatred, Envy/Jealousy, Ignorance, etc. along with Environmental disasters, poor air/water/food, entropy in the material world, etc. Our Buddhist clergy ought to know the law of the land as well as the usual learning of the inner laws. Meditation guides us to Wisdom, and the deepest Meditation, if correctly done, to Bliss and how to know God/Truth/Allah.

    Re: Corruption & Drug dealing

    Where is the PROOF of all this corruption & drug dealing ? We have to await Due Process in the Courts of Law. We have to await PROOF of all the crimes before pointing fingers in such a definite manner. Some media and people may highlight the ‘crimes & drug dealing’ as a done deal and find the guilty too, even without proof. Same type of media operates all over the world. We have to be discerning when we read news. Not all of it truthful or honest and may be serving the purposes of vested interests etc. There is also a great deal of exaggeration to suit various goals/ambitions of different people. Today some journalists are hired to write untruths (he who pays the piper calls the tunes).

    Responsible Media will have to form a Hall of Shame of PROVEN CORRUPTION. Law & Order, Ethics & Morality have to prevail if political leaders are to survive as citizens are ever watchful now.

    If proved, bad leaders (political, business, clergy, teachers, even parents, etc.) ought to be removed from their posts, or made to resign by the political party concerned. Or the voters can vote them out of power even though some damage may have been done. It is the same for other spheres of leadership. Re bad parenting : hard to cure, but authorities may have to remove kids from abusive homes.

    Family Planning & Birth Control a must through safe methods such as use of Neem (Kohomba) by both females & males. This would prevent unwanted kids with resultant abusive parent/s and later criminal activity. Sound parenting by caring parents (I don’t mean spoiling a kid), will certainly see law abiding children grow up into law abiding adults.

    I still believe that most people of Lanka are good at Heart. There is hope for a better future. However, all this requires conscious effort in a diverse society such as in Lanka. Easier said than done, but still possible within a Buddhist bedrock and practice of basic core religious values by all.

    ——————-

    aloy,

    Where have I complained about JVP ? On the contrary, I sympathize with the rural folk, Sinhela & Tamil.
    Now in my older years, I perceive the treatment of the JVP as some sort of social injustice even as I understand why things happened the way they did. In my younger days, I looked upon the JVP as an organization that caused fear and wanton destruction on flimsy grounds. Not so now. We all have to make sure that all of Lanka society gets reasonable respect and care both from government as well as from the general public.

    I have said that the the JVP fought a war based on political ideology and their state of poverty. During Mrs B’s time, the JVP was not called up for talks for settlement and merciless slaughter was done. Same thing happened in Pres. Premadasa’s time and merciless sloughier ensued. JVP said later that the latter protest was due to imposing of the 13-A. Looking back, the JVP was virtually wiped out because of the Cold War of that time and influences of external forces. But, even now, the rural/Colombo gap has to close much more. I think it was Karuna (ex-ltte) who said ‘give us what Colombo has’.

    In the earlier times, it was hard to understand what was going on and why. The media had not paid much attention to the underlying causes.

    Dr Sudath Guneratne’s article on the Education system (5th Grade schols) refers to some of the troubles and solutions re Education, one of areas yet to be stabilized. Next comes Health Care (CKD issue) and Job Creation.

    Societies & Economies everywhere are in a state of flux. Periods of long term stability are rare. We can copy from them ideas on what makes a stable modern day society. In Europe : Germany, Finland, Denmark are current success stories.

43. Lorenzo Says:
    January 6th, 2014 at 12:54 pm

    Fran,

    The MISSION is to protect SL from many evils it faces today – 13 amendment, drugs, violence, excessive corruption, Tamil appeasement, NGOs, etc.

    I have given FACTS WHY the present system FAILS to bring good people to parliament, etc. and you have NOT challenged any of them.

    A CHANGE in the current SYSTEM is needed.

44. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 6th, 2014 at 2:59 pm

    Lorenzo,

    Re the many evils you mention :

    (a) 13-A : imposed by INDIA and still kept in place by INDIA. What was forced on Lanka during the Cold War is yet in place to placate whom ? The reason for it is long gone. However, on the plus side, at the moment the GoSL making lemon aid
    out of this lemon. It is a sort of training ground for future leadership, however ridiculous for such a small country to have the same system as huge India.

    (b) The main source of illicit drugs is from Pakistan (media reports). Why does a so called friendly country allow this to happen ? The current culprit who has been identified cannot be extradited, says Pakistani authorities. Fishy stuff here – we may never know the truth of this matter. Who brought in drugs to Lanka during the 1983 Riots time ? Drugs are definitely one way to down a country. There has to be a Drug Awareness & Consequences of Drug taking classes in schools and workplaces, both govt. & private.

    © I have already addressed this topic.

    (d) Tamil appeasement : Tamil Grievances are Political vote catching themes. Also Tamil Diaspora, Tamil Nadu, Indian elections, vested interests are at work on this theme. Also, Upcountry Tamils have deliberately tied themselves to the tea bushes and call it ‘discrimination’ according to some journalists (see web).

    A Change is needed WITHIN the Democratic system of governance. Almost all these problems are common (and more) to other Democracies in the world today.

    Lorenzo, we will never have that ‘perfect society’. We can only strive for such an Eden and make life safer and better for everyone in Lanka. Let’s alter our Democratic system to remove the negative items, or at least tell the truth of matters.

45. Lorenzo Says:
    January 6th, 2014 at 4:36 pm

    Fran,

    There are NO solutions within this system because it is the SYSTEM that promotes these evils.

    We have to THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX to find solutions.

    Never forget this system was put in place by the BRITISH rulers who are the root cause of ALL problems!

    We have to CREATE a system that suits us without JUST accepting what the BRITS left for us. Don’t you think so?

    Further explanation…..

    Brits left us with THEIR OWN constitution. NEVER think it is for our benefit!!
    Then our OXFORD and HARVARD crowd did 2 constitutions for us.
    Then ENDIAN dirt was injected to the constitution! YUK!

    Have they done any good? NO. They are FOREIGN!!

    SL needs its OWN GRASSROOTS constitution. It CANNOT happen under this rule. This rule should be temporarily halted to change it.

    I’m not after a perfect society. I’m after a reasonbly good society and a political system where there is NO 13 amendment, NO druggies, etc. in TOP positions, NO ethnic enclaves for Arabs and South Endians, NO appeasement of Tamils, NO Tamil illegal immigration.

46. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 7th, 2014 at 4:58 am

    Lorenzo,

    That is why I suggested alterations to the existing Democratic system. You are right, it has to be shaped out right to
    suit our needs. In other words, add and subtract to the Constitution as well as the Laws of the Land, till it is right and into the shape we want. Talented legal professionals, lay folk and Buddhist priests (and even other clergy ?) ought to study the Law of Land and suggest changes.

    Some of the European countries have got it right for this time period. That is, Germany, Finland, Denmark stand out as countries that have got it right re social needs and good governance. Copy some of their ideas. Also, in the East, the Singapore model is seen as a good one to follow – copy some of their ideas too and new ones of our own. You can see that Democratic systems work well when the People demand it. It will happen here too. WE have our work cut out for us !

47. Lorenzo Says:
    January 7th, 2014 at 5:03 am

    Fran,

    At last something we can agree.

    But there is a bigger hurdle. How to TRIGGER that change? Current leaders will NOT want ANY change. They LOVE this system. That is when a military leaderships becomes MOST reliable.

48. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 7th, 2014 at 7:07 am

    Lorenzo,

    Current leaders have been ‘cornered’ by a FALSE War Crimes & HR violations charge. They are concentrating on self defense, not so much on Change of Law. So this WC & HR stuff is counter productive to the People. The sooner it is out of the way, the better for the People.

    Current People want want even more sense of Security & Development. Current GoSL feels it is providing both, which in a sense is true given the circumstances. What we want is further improvement. And let us not forget the horrendous baggage from the past that this GoSL (however flawed) inherited through Colonisation, Cold War & Caste/Class divide. They have done a good job, considering the odds. Again, what we want is further improvement.

    Nothing more to say here, Lorenzo. It’s over to the People to pressure their govt. local representatives for Change. they have to start thinking of what is best for themselves and the country as a whole. This is real and true Democracy.

    The Armed Forces & the Police are there to see to the Security issues and that the Law is upheld in the country. That is heavy duty already on their plate.

49. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 7th, 2014 at 7:14 am

    P.S. Only Development will probably take place in 2014, given the UNHRC (March) obstacle for GoSL, plus the Indian Elections.

50. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 7th, 2014 at 8:08 am

    Lorenzo,

    Talking of revising Laws, take a look at this one.

    Our ‘friendly’ neighbor, Pakistan, is sending drugs & persecuted folk to Lanka !

    * Pakistani Christians seek asylum in Sri Lanka
    Tue, Jan 7, 2014, 01:22 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

    Jan 07 (SBS) In recent years, Sri Lanka has been one of the main sources of asylum seekers arriving in Australia. But mainly Buddhist Sri Lanka has its own asylum seeker issue – with an increasing number of Pakistani Christians arriving to claim refugee status.

    Catholic Church leaders say Sri Lanka is now hosting more than 600 asylum seekers claiming to be victims of persecution of the minority Christian community in Muslim-majority Pakistan.

    The Pakistanis are not eligible to work, and are relying on support from Sri Lankan Christians.

    Catholic Church spokesman in Colombo, Father Xystus Kurukulasuriya, spoke to Zara Zaher.

    Read More:: SBS (Source)

51. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 7th, 2014 at 9:13 am

    Another one from ‘friendly’ Pakistan.

    VIDEO: THREE HELD WITH 21,000KG EXPIRED BASMATI RICE January 7, 2014 03:32 pm Ada Derana

    The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) Gampaha District Unit today seized 21,000 kilograms of Basmati rice, unsuitable for human consumption, stored at a container yard in Wattala.

    The expired Basmati rice, imported from Pakistan, is estimated to be worth around Rs 4 million and was to be repackaged and released to the market, the CAA said.

    Three persons have been arrested in connection while they are to be produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court.

52. Lorenzo Says:
    January 7th, 2014 at 12:40 pm

    Fran,

    Lets agree to disagree. Given the situ. I support a temporary MILITARY TAKE OVER to FIX this rotten system. You support the continuation of the system HOPING people WILL and CAN change things.

53. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 7th, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    Lorenzo,

    When People apply sufficient pressure on politicos when the situation is negative, they will change the laws. If no Change happens, naive Lanka Nation will have to learn the hard way, again.

    Anyway, let’s put this matter to rest now. We have done our bit in warning re Change.

54. Nanda Says:
    January 7th, 2014 at 3:27 pm

    Lorenzo,
    We may support a “temporary MILITARY TAKE OVER to FIX this rotten system” which is hypothetical.
    But “the continuation of the system HOPING people WILL and CAN change things” is real and definitely more people support it.
    This is why Buddha chose to go against the flow. He threw the bowl in water and suddenly saw it going against the current. He thought at that short moment, “this is the way”. That is ture wisdom. The former is branded “pragmatism” and worshipped by the masses.

55. Lorenzo Says:
    January 7th, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    Nanda,

    Agree.

    Of course I have NOT given up on “temporary MILITARY TAKE OVER to FIX this rotten system”. I only agreed to disagree with Fran. She keeps her opinion while I stick to my guns.

    I have written WHY people in SL CANNOT save SL.
    I also don’t want people to learn to HARD WAY because they are NOT at fault.

    It is easy to go with the HERD MENTALITY but I swim AGAINST the tide.

    When DSS won independence his UNP was a MINORITY in SL parliament.
    When MR launched war his UPFA was a minority in SL parliament.

    People are coming to learn UPFA, UNP, JVP, Gonzeka, TNA, SLMC, CWC, etc. cannot do any good. We have all the time in the world while they are running OUT OF TIME!

56. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 8th, 2014 at 7:41 am

    To fix what ails the country :

    We agree with Ananda’s (Ananda USA) set of suggestions.

    ADD:

    * Fix the system through the LAW of the LAND. Punish ALL law breakers.
    * Enact the 6-A. Get a government smart enough that will enact the 6-A
    and remove the SAARC rule of ‘visa on entry’ and claiming Asylum.
    * Bring the JVP into the main fold of governance.
    * Fix the Education system and gear it for real learning about life, and provision of jobs.
    * Laws to bring Clean air, water and food.
    * Mainly Green Energy production.

    In the end, whatever system of governance that comes in, they will have to do the same/similar moves in order to be successful. Learn painlessly.

    Wishing you all a Happy & Peaceful New Year !

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